Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is pretty important to know, especially when you are heading out for a night of drinking. Since you are allowed a little wiggle room between being completely sober and legally drunk, the BAC you measure needs to be as accurate as possible. But, without your own breathalyzer or an awkward conversation with law enforcement, how can you calculate your BAC and be sure you are able to get home safely?
First, you should always trust your gut. By that, we mean that you are the best person to know if you should be driving, or not. So, if you have to even question your sobriety, please find a safe ride home.
If you are determined to find an online BAC calculator to estimate your level of intoxication. You have to keep in mind the following, however, when using an online tool or estimating your own BAC:
- Your weight and gender.
- The length of time you’ve been drinking.
- The percentage of alcohol in your drinks.
- The actual “servings” of alcohol you have consumed.
- Any medications or other substances that you have taken.
Online BAC calculators can be excellent guidelines, but they are never 100 percent accurate. You have to think of those as general, math-based estimation tools that cannot guarantee what is really happening in your body.
Second, if you find the BAC calculators too difficult to navigate… then find a safe ride home.
You are responsible for your own choices, and that can be difficult when under the spell of a few of your favorite microbrews. Even if you spend the night calculating your BAC with friends, you still run the risk of being legally drunk, or, charged with a lesser drunk driving charge. Since you are already on the fence about being drunk, and you could risk a DUI conviction, car breathalyzer requirement or worse, your best bet it to just call it a night, and call a taxi for a safe ride home.
California DUI and Sobriety Checkpoint Laws